


Imagine This

by NeoDiji



Series: Imaginings [2]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack, Crossover, Dirty Talk, Humor, Implied Voyeurism, M/M, SorMik, childhood AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-04 05:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12162471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoDiji/pseuds/NeoDiji
Summary: Collection of unrelated oneshots for SuzaLulu Week 2017 prompts.





	1. Kid Crush

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 1: Violet | AU: kindergarten
> 
> I might have had too much fun with this one, considering. ~~Here's a game: spot all the personal experience details.~~ KINDERGARTEN IS THE BEST, OKAY? And who can resist kid!Suzaku and kid!Lelouch?

“I got these for _you_ , Miss Fenette!”

Lelouch looked up from his book as Miss Fenette thanked Suzaku profusely for the fistful of weeds shoved in her direction. There were a couple of squished flowers poking out from the mess. Rolling his eyes, Lelouch went back to his book. He read two words before a shadow blocked the sunlight.

“Don’t be jealous!” Suzaku said, holding out his other hand and letting something drop from his fingers. “I got you this rock! I dug it out of the dirt all by myself!”

Snorting, Lelouch watched the rock slide off his page and land back in the dirt. “Wonderful,” he said dryly, having mastered sarcasm beyond his age’s developmental norm. “Just what I always wanted,” he said, picking up his present and chucking it off to the side. Ignoring Suzaku’s horrified gasp, Lelouch flicked a speck of dirt off his book and stared pointedly at the words. “It’s just a dumb rock. Now go away. You’re in my light, idiot.”

Lip quivering, Suzaku rushed back to Miss Fenette and sobbed, “L-Lelouch called me an ‘idiot’!”

Time-out, Lelouch mused ten seconds later, afforded a better chance to read anyway.

Or at least, he thought so until Miss Fenette plucked his book from his fingers and gave him a warm-stern lecture. “No reading, Lelouch. Sit in Turtle Time and think about how you can be a better friend.”

“I won’t throw his stupid rock next time,” Lelouch offered, reaching a hand out for his book.

Miss Fenette frowned at him, but it was impossible for her to look scary even if she tried. “That wasn’t a nice thing to say, Lelouch.”

Shrugging, Lelouch flapped his hand impatiently. “I don’t care. Give me my book!”

Frown deepening, Miss Fenette took a step back. “Excuse me, please don’t talk to your teacher in such a rude way,” she said, holding the book even more out of reach. “Instead, say, ‘May I please have my book?’ in a nice tone like we practiced this morning. ‘Please’ is the magic word, Lelouch, remember?”

Lelouch reflected her glare back at her. “It doesn’t work for me,” he whined, crossing his arms over his chest. “Suzaku never leaves me alone even when I tell him to _please_ go jump off a cliff.” With a surge of triumph at the resulting laughter in his teacher’s eyes, he concluded, “There’s no use saying ‘please’ if it doesn’t get me what I want anyway.”

“That’s true,” Miss Fenette said slowly. “It doesn’t always work. But it’s the polite way to speak, and it _usually_ works. More importantly, it’s how we talk in this classroom.”

“We’re outside,” Lelouch said quickly.

Ignoring his rather accurate point, Miss Fenette suggested, “Maybe Suzaku just wants to be your friend.”

“I don’t care,” Lelouch said again, wondering how many times he’d said those words this past day alone. “I don’t like him.”

“You don’t have to like him,” Miss Fenette shot back, “but you do have to treat him with respect. Do you remember what respect looks like?”

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” Lelouch spelled out, writing the letters in the dirt. “It looks like this, see?”

“That’s…impressive, Lelouch,” Miss Fenette praised him. “But not what I was looking for. How do you show someone respect?”

Lelouch thought a moment. “By doing the opposite of whatever Father does,” he quipped. Before his embarrassed-looking teacher could comment, Lelouch came to a conclusion on his own and groaned, “Aw man, that means I hafta ‘pologize to Suzaku.”

-+-

“That’s okay!” Suzaku said, beaming as he accepted Lelouch’s stiff ‘sorry’ in the shadow of the slide. “Can you play with me now?”

Lelouch looked over his shoulder longingly, his eyes resting on his precious book tucked under Miss Fenette’s arm. Out of reach. He sighed. “Fine. Got nothin’ better to do.”

“Great!” Suzaku exclaimed, jumping up and down. “We’re playing ‘family.’ You can be my husband!”

Lelouch took an immediate step back and squawked, “What?!”

“That means you’re the daddy, just like me,” Suzaku said, scooping up a handful of playground mulch and dumping it into Lelouch’s hands. “Here, you watch our kids while I go to work.”

“…These are woodchips.”

Suzaku looked affronted. “Those are our kids, Lelouch! Because you’re bein’ mean, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight!”

Lelouch frowned. “What does that have to do with playing ‘family’?!”

“My mommy tells my daddy to sleep on the couch whenever they fight,” Suzaku said. “This is what married grown-ups _do_ , Lelouch. Duh.” Patting more woodchips into Lelouch’s hand, Suzaku walked around the playground equipment and yelled back, “See you after work!”

“You’re right there!”

“Well, pretend you can’t see me!” A worried look suddenly crossed his face. “Never mind! The bad guys are coming! I’ll save you, Lelouch!” He came charging back, shouting, “Pew, pew!” as he thrust his arms in random directions. “I got the stupid—AH, LELOUCH, A BAD GUY HAS ME!” He fell dramatically to the ground, twitching and sending woodchips flying.

Lelouch looked around awkwardly, then walked to hide further under the slide.

Suzaku popped his head up. “Good thinking, Lelouch! You led the bad guy away from me! I’m not dead anymore!”

“Uh, good?” Lelouch hedged, hunkering down in his little hiding spot below the playground equipment.

Suzaku nodded enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet. “Yeah, that’s good. Oh no, Lelouch, the babies are hungry! Quick! Feed them noodles!”

“Noodles?!”

Suzaku lifted one shoulder helplessly and then swung upside down on some monkey bars. “It’s what we had for dinner last night. They were yummy—hey, do you like noodles?”

“…Sometimes.”

“My mommy’s noodles are the best!” Suzaku boasted. He flipped himself over and jumped to the ground, landing on his feet like a cat. Dangerous. “I’ll share some with you at lunch.”

“We’re not supposed to share food because of food allergies,” Lelouch recited, pretending to ‘feed’ a woodchip baby and basking in Suzaku’s highly approving look. Whatever Lelouch did was the right move. He smirked. He could actually get used to this.

Suzaku shrugged and countered, “That rule’s only for people who _aren’t_ married.”

Because Lelouch liked breaking rules anyway, he didn’t argue.

-+-

“Say something nice to your Peanut Butter-Jelly partner,” Miss Fenette instructed with a warm smile, starting to mill through her students to listen to everyone practicing compliments. The turn-and-talk procedure was taped to the wall, complete with visual cues, along with a list of partners.

Lelouch had initially groaned about having Suzaku Kururugi be his ‘Peanut Butter,’ but many secretly shared lunches and recess playtimes since then had changed his mind. Suzaku wasn’t that bad anymore. In fact, sometimes he seemed brighter than all the colorful posters on the walls.

Suzaku scooted closer to Lelouch on the carpet with wide, excited eyes. “Lelouch,” he announced, “I think you’re the _best_ —”

“Thank you, Suzaku,” Lelouch said quickly, feeling suddenly embarrassed again. He looked longingly towards the beanbags in the classroom library.

Pouting, Suzaku leaned back. “You didn’t let me finish,” he accused, his bottom lip trembling. He waited until Lelouch was looking at him silently again before saying loudly, “I think you’re the best _psychopath_!”

Lelouch blinked.

Miss Fenette dropped her clipboard and stifled a gasp.

Suzaku looked really, really proud of himself.

“What does that even mean?” Lelouch wondered, cocking his head curiously. He did like being the best at it, whatever it was. Lelouch always liked being the best. He had more gold stars on his sticker chart than anybody in the whole class, despite his tendency to ignore rules he didn’t like (mostly because he’d figured out how to work the system).

Suzaku shrugged, still grinning. “I dunno!” he said with a laugh. “But it’s something my dad called you after Back to School Night, and I thought it sounded like a cool word. What do you think?”

Nodding, Lelouch said excitedly, “Yeah! It does sound fun. I’ll be the best psychopath _ever_ for you, Suzaku!”

Before Suzaku could celebrate, Miss Fenette separated them with an unreadable look gracing her face.

-+-

“Did you know every syllable has a vowel sound?” Lelouch asked before Suzaku could direct him where to fight the new wave of bad guys.

Suzaku squinted in the bright sunlight, plopping down next to Lelouch in what had become their ‘house.’ They’d clapped the syllables of kids’ names during Morning Meeting, but— “What’s a vowel sound?” Suzaku asked before proceeding to make all sorts of sound effects. “Does it sound like any of these? Pew pew!”

A few months ago, Suzaku’s ignorance would have riled Lelouch into anger, believing Suzaku to be acting stupid on purpose to annoy him. Now Lelouch just laughed. “Never mind,” he said, throwing a wood chip towards the fence. “You just protect us from the bad guys and I’ll read to the kids.”

“Can you make a cake, too?” Suzaku asked, giving Lelouch a spontaneous hug. “Make it chocolate and broccoli!”

Lelouch blushed lightly and murmured, “Yeah, it’ll be waiting when you get home.”

-+-

“I have a cat,” Suzaku shared during Free Center Time, “but no brothers or sisters. What about you?”

Lelouch grabbed a black crayon and started drawing squiggly lines. “I have a little sister named Nunnally,” he said, stopping and making a disgusted face. “She’s three and she talks to her poop.”

“Ah,” Suzaku said, nodding sagely. “I used to do that.”

Lelouch wrinkled his nose. “She gives them names and everything, and there’s a whole story every time she goes number two. It takes her forever to go potty.”

Suzaku laughed and switched Lelouch’s black crayon for a violet one. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “You can come over and use my potty anytime.”

-+-

Flinging his arm out, Lelouch announced, “I threw a bomb, Suzaku. All the bad guys are dead already.”

Suzaku beamed. “Great! Now we have more time to do, uh, husband things!” He sidled closer and said bashfully, “You’re being a great psychopath, Lelouch.”

“Yeah,” Lelouch preened, “I am.”

-+-

Miss Fenette frowned lightly at them during lunch, Lelouch’s hand hovering over Suzaku’s noodles. “Remember that you have the super-power to make good choices,” she reminded them firmly. “Think of our rules.”

Lelouch slowly withdrew his hand.

“You made the right choice, Lelouch,” Miss Fenette praised him.

As soon as her back was turned, Lelouch slurped Suzaku’s noodles.

Then Suzaku kept Lelouch company in time-out, because Miss Fenette had eyes in the back of her head. Curses. It was a grown-up thing. Lelouch couldn’t wait until his extra eyes grew in, but for now, he’d settle for his school husband.

-+-

“You all have come so far!” gushed Miss Fenette, flitting between the tables. “To celebrate your Kindergarten graduation, I want you to choose one very important thing you learned this past year. That’s going to be what your last Writer’s Workshop book is all about.” Showing an example project, she said, “Show me what you thought at the beginning of the year and then show me what you think now. Remember to use our Word Wall if you get stuck.”

The classroom was quiet except for the background sound of classical music as all the students worked on their books. By the end of the day, two school-made books decorated the hallway side-by-side:

 

_HoW to Kll teh dAd giS_

_by SuZAkU_

_At teh dginn off teh yr, I tot teh bet wA to Kll dAd giS wuz wif A gUN. teHN my hzbad LELOUCH tot me it wuz bTTr to tro a bom. teHn tA all di At teh sAm tim. teh end_

 

_Suzaku_

_by Lelouch_

_This yer I ~~leaned~~ leaRned that Suzaku is not a bad boy. He is akchully pretty cool. I am glad he is my ~~huz~~ husband. The End_


	2. Parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SuzaLulu vs. SorMik. The weddings are on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own neither Code Geass nor Tales of Zestiria.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 2: Weddings
> 
> CRACK CROSSOVER
> 
>  
> 
> ~~I swear I have no ulterior motives about wanting to bring people from each fandom into the other if they're not already in both.~~

“It’s been awhile since we’ve had some alone time,” Lelouch noted, looking around the quaint diner. Aside from another couple of guys in the back corner, he and Suzaku were the only ones there. It was peaceful. Relaxing. Suzaku’s warm smile eased the tension in Lelouch’s shoulders. For the first time in several months, he could sit back and focus on the unimportant. Nodding with his chin, Lelouch said in a low tone, “Check out that guy’s feathered earrings. Talk about gay.”

Suzaku chanced a look over his shoulder before turning back to Lelouch with a quirked eyebrow. “ _You_ , of all people, did not just insinuate anything about a person’s sexuality based on fashion.”

What was Suzaku talking about? Lelouch had an impeccable wardrobe supplied by CLAMP! “I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” Lelouch shot back, holding up his palms. “I just think his chosen accessories are rather interesting and telling, that’s all.” Leaning his head on his hand, he wondered aloud, “I wonder if I’m right.”

“Gee, Lelouch, why don’t you go ask him?” Suzaku asked flatly, sipping some water and staring Lelouch down over the rim of the cup.

That was a challenge if Lelouch ever heard one. Which he did. Often. Lifting his nose in the air, Lelouch slid gracefully out of his seat and approached the other diner occupants. He steadfastly ignored Suzaku’s hissed orders to ‘come back!’ and ‘be sensitive!’

The white-haired male grew a little more guarded as Lelouch got closer. “Can we help you?” he asked, his voice a bit terse.

“Why, yes you can,” Lelouch answered, swinging his attention to Feathered Earrings. “Indulge my curiosity. Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…state your dating preferences!”

Feathered Earrings stiffened as a red glow lit up behind his irises, causing White Hair to startle in alarm.

But Feathered Earrings just smiled—it honestly looked a little creepy overlaid on the vacant Geassed expression—and said firmly, “Mikleo.”

Lelouch blinked. “What?”

“I love Mikleo!” Feathered Earrings exclaimed, sounding oddly intense for someone under the influence of Geass, and pointed excitedly to the white-haired male opposite him. “That’s Mikleo, and I love him!”

White Hair—that is, Mikleo—buried his blushing face in his hands and groaned. “Sorey…”

Feathered Earrings didn’t seem to notice, as he kept right on eerily chirping, “I’ve only ever wanted to date Mikleo. And I am. I actually had my first wet dream about Mikleo when I was twelve, haha. I was so embarrassed because I thought I’d wet my bed, but Gramps explained what my body was trying to tell me about Mikleo. Now I dream of him every night and it’s fantastic! He’s the best boyfriend ever! Someday we’re going to get married on a goblin cart.”

Mikleo raised his head and snapped, “What?! No we’re not!”

Feathered—rather, Sorey pouted like a kicked puppy. “You don’t want to marry me, Mikleo?” he asked, sounding like he was attending his heart’s funeral.

Waving his hands, Mikleo backtracked, “That’s not what I meant! We’re going to get married, Sorey, but not on a goblin cart. I refuse.”

“We can take off the gaudy ornamentation,” Sorey offered in a compromise, cocking his head hopefully.

Mikleo just stared at him in clear disbelief.

Lelouch cleared his throat and beckoned Suzaku over. “Well, _my_ boyfriend and I are going to get married in a giant fighting mecha unit called a Knightmare.”

“That _sounds_ like a nightmare,” Mikleo muttered under his breath, but not so low as to be inaudible.

Lelouch pursed his lips and stood straighter. “Excuse you,” he threw out haughtily, “our wedding is going to be better than yours.”

Suzaku cringed, standing awkwardly off to the side. “Lelouch, it’s not a competition.”

Sorey whipped around to stare at the two of them, beaming. “It’s so cool that you’re getting married, too! Congratulations! I hope you’ll be very happy together.”

Adjusting his stance, Lelouch interrupted Suzaku’s polite ‘thanks’ and said, “I just challenged you to a Wedding Details match-off and you’re responding like a naïve sunshine child instead of biting.”

“That’s just Sorey,” Mikleo said with a half-shrug, doing a poor job of hiding his dopey smile.

What a lovesick idiot. _Lelouch_ certainly never looked or acted stupid about anything to do with Suzaku.

With a slight cough, Mikleo tilted his head at Lelouch and asked, “You want wedding details? Fine. Our colors are green and purple to honor our complementary eyes—”

“Thieves!” Lelouch hissed. “That was mine and Suzaku’s _thing_ first!”

Mikleo only raised an eyebrow like he didn’t care and kept spewing details, “I’m going to make our ice-cream wedding cake myself because I’m really talented in the area of food prep—”

“That’s what _I_ was going to do!”

“—and we’re going to have a large wedding because we’re so popular amongst our huge group of friends.” Mikleo sat back smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Not bigger than _our_ wedding,” Lelouch grumbled, crossing his arms even _tighter_ than Stupid White Hair. Who dyed their hair-tips blue, anyway?

Suzaku abandoned Lelouch’s side to sit with Sorey. That traitor.

Mikleo raised his voice higher, earning Lelouch’s attention again. “We’re going to have resplendently intricate outfits.”

Seething, Lelouch scowled and snapped, “ _Nothing_ beats Suzaku’s and my eclectic and questionable fashion sense! Have you _seen_ Suzaku’s sunglasses? Or my emperor’s hat? What about my _fabulous_ eye-patch when I was walking around with re-written memories? Dangling jewels are my trademark.”

“No,” Mikleo said dismissively, “but I don’t really care to. Anyway, we’re going to have a symmetrical theme because we balance each other out so perfectly—”

“STOP STEALING FROM US!”

“—probably because we’ve been best friends since childhood.”

“STOP. IT.”

“Infancy, actually.”

“ _Damn_ you.”

Mikleo smirked, adding, “And a mock fight as part of the reception entertainment because we work flawlessly together in battle—”

Lelouch sighed. “Okay, you can shut up any time now.”

Clearly trying to make a point, Mikleo kept going. “And our wedding is going to revolve around our obviously palpable emotion and bond. Our relationship is the central focus of our story, and this wedding will be the climactic event.”

Seriously, enough was enough. Lelouch was justifiably angry. “ARE YOU SUZALULU 2.0?!”

“If it will make you go away, then yes.” By the look on his face, Mikleo had no idea what ‘SuzaLulu’ was.

To be fair, neither did Lelouch. It had just popped into his brain, like a celebrity mash-up. Shaking his head, Lelouch looked at his boyfriend and shuddered. “Suzaku, stop giggling about cats with Feathered Earrings! We need to improve our wedding plans!”

The two smiling, green-eyed brunets looked up at Lelouch curiously.

“It was nice to meet you,” Sorey said, waving enthusiastically. “You’re welcome at our wedding, of course!”

“Then you can see how superior it is in person,” Mikleo tacked on hurriedly, ignoring Lelouch’s glare and dramatic heel-turn.

Sorey had the nerve to laugh. “Hope to see you there!” he said before turning to stare at Mikleo happily. “I like when we make new friends, Mikleo.”

Mikleo shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I wouldn’t exactly say…” he trailed off, noticing Sorey’s pleadingly innocent expression. “Argh, I can’t say no to that face. Yes, Sorey, I’m glad when we make new friends, too. They seem…nice.”

Good save, Lelouch thought as Suzaku scuttled along behind him, begging, “Lelouch, will you wear a wedding dress?”

“NO!”

Suzaku stopped dead. “You shouldn’t say ‘no’ to my face, either,” he said with a pout.

Oh shit. Things were backwards. “Don’t compare us to them,” Lelouch ordered furiously. “Compare _them_ to _us_.”

With a puzzled expression, Suzaku started to ask, “Isn’t that still—?”

“Shut up, Suzaku.”

Suzaku rolled his eyes and started walking again. “Whatever, Lelouch,” he said, grinning at the other couple. “They seem great. They remind me a bit of us. I ship ‘em.”

“You would,” Lelouch muttered. Then, he grew resigned. “Fine. Love the copycats. Just remember _we_ were the originals.”

Whatever that meant. Suzaku shook his head warily. “Yeah, okay. Hey, Lelouch, did you really mean it when you said you wanted to get married in a Knightmare…?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lelouch and Mikleo would totally have a rivalry while Suzaku and Sorey become BFFs in the background. (I believe Milka121/Women-books-coffie on Tumblr and I were talking about that one day, so here's credit. xD)


	3. It's In the Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SuzaLulu relationship AU where they didn’t meet as children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or make profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 3: Cards
> 
> A/N: *gasp* My first slightly serious prompt response this round! WHAT IS THIS EVEN?!
> 
> Geez, I want to dabble in **this** AU, too. Like, go more in-depth concerning what's summarized here. ARGH. Time and inspiration so rarely seem to match up. :/
> 
> **SO MANY WHAT-IF CANON DIVERGENCES. I'M DROWNING. SEND HELP.**
> 
> ~~I accept kitty cuddles, coffee, and chocolate to sustain myself. Kthx.~~

“We missed each other by some strange twist of fate,” Lelouch explained, sipping his tea and trying to gauge his boyfriend’s expression across the table. Suzaku looked confused, but Lelouch had learned over their months of dating that Suzaku’s “confused” expression could mean anything from “I am absolutely clueless, please explain in painstaking detail” to “I know what’s going on but I’m just playing you.” Right now, Lelouch couldn’t read him. That could have been due to nerves.

But, he’d never needed to be scared of Suzaku. From the moment they’d met in that truck in Shinjuku, Lelouch had learned he could trust Suzaku. Hell, the strange soldier had even taken a bullet to protect him. It was unreal. When Lelouch had made it home, he’d pressed his face into his pillow and cried for Clovis, for the brother-killing monster he’d become that day. For the strange green-haired girl from the capsule, who’d also rushed to intercept a bullet for the sake of saving Lelouch’s life. And finally, Lelouch had cried for the brave Japanese teenager, who’d been the first to die by refusing to compromise his morals. Their brief interaction had touched something vital in Lelouch’s heart, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

A scant few days later, Lelouch had felt giddy with relief upon seeing Suzaku— _his name was Suzaku_ —arrested for Prince Clovis’s murder on the news. These were dire circumstances, but he still had a chance. The surname ‘Kururugi’ roared with meaning, but Lelouch couldn’t focus on that when he had a cute boy to save. It was time to return the favor.

It was odd, feeling this intense need to rescue and protect this person he’d known for all of five minutes.

Lelouch had never felt such an illogical reaction to anyone before in his life. He’d been extra guarded since being abandoned by his father in Japan right before the war, and while he’d learned to act to survive at Ashford, he’d never learned to trust again or open his heart. Even his friends on the Student Council were more necessary acquaintances than real pals.

Then again, they weren’t breathtakingly sexy and simultaneously adorable potential boyfriends with the greenest eyes and the warmest smile and the kindest nature and the strongest heart—

Lelouch had shaken himself out of it to create Zero, but he’d let himself thoroughly enjoy feeling Suzaku’s body pressed so tightly against him as they fell to safety together, Suzaku wrapped in Zero’s cape, in Lelouch’s arms…

It had been a major disappointment when Suzaku had chosen his own execution over Zero’s rather perfect proposal.

Lelouch had never expected to see Kururugi Suzaku again after that night, but he’d been pleasantly surprised when Suzaku had randomly shown up afterwards to attend Ashford Academy. He could see the very second Suzaku recognized him as That Shinjuku Boy as they locked eyes across the classroom, and he’d rushed to pull Suzaku aside at the earliest opportunity. He brought Suzaku to his special spot on the roof, where they’d awkwardly introduced themselves—strange because Suzaku already felt so important to him—and soon settled into an easy friendship. Which, over time, had developed into more.

Though they’d only met a few months ago, Lelouch felt like he’d known Suzaku all his life.

Their kisses and cuddles gave Lelouch life—though he’d never admit it to anyone—and before long, he’d fallen head over heels. He’d been lucky enough that Suzaku felt the same. They were serious now, and while Lelouch couldn’t confess his identity as Zero or show off his Geass power, there was one other significant secret he’d been keeping. And Suzaku, of all people, deserved to know.

“How did we miss each other?” Suzaku asked, reaching for Lelouch’s hand across the table. “What do you mean, Lelouch?”

Lelouch squeezed Suzaku’s hand and slotted their fingers together. “You know those life-altering coincidences?”

Slowly, Suzaku nodded. “Yeah. Go on.”

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch shared, “We almost met as children, Suzaku. If one thing had worked out differently, our paths would have crossed much earlier.”

A huge smile blossomed on Suzaku’s face. “That just means we were _meant_ to meet at some point, Lelouch. Fate wouldn’t give up on getting us together.”

“You’re such a romantic,” Lelouch said, snorting fondly and tracing shapes on the back of Suzaku’s hand. “But yes, I suppose our bond has always been in the cards.”

Suzaku nodded happily. “No matter what, we would’ve found each other. Maybe that’s why I felt such a strong connection to you, right from the beginning.”

Lelouch again squeezed Suzaku’s hand, feeling a tad bit choked up. God, his sentimentality was really spilling out of control ever since meeting Suzaku, like he had seven years worth of emotions to process at once.

Leaning forward, Suzaku asked, “So, how did we meet as kids in some parallel universe?”

“Ah, right, the coincidence,” Lelouch said, his muscles tensing. He took a deep breath. “When I was ten, my father sent me and Nunnally to Japan.”

Suzaku blinked, intrigued, and silently motioned for Lelouch to continue.

Swallowing thickly, Lelouch bit the bullet. There could be no denying the connections after sharing: “We stayed at the main Kururugi Estate.”

Eyes widening, Suzaku breathed, “ _What?_ ”

Lelouch cleared his throat and looked to the side. “They were talking about moving us to the vacation house for the summer, but the authorities ultimately decided that it would upset Nunnally’s healing routine too much. So we didn’t go.”

“But I was at the Kururugi Shrine that summer— _oh!_ ”

Lelouch glanced up, teasing, “Nothing gets past you.”

Suzaku’s brow furrowed as he thought, “But wait, the only Britannian kids who ever stayed on Kururugi property were— _oh my god!_ ”

“So you see,” Lelouch said, struggling to control his emotion, “I just thought you should know…who I really am.”

“You’re a _prince_ ,” Suzaku gasped.

Not quite anymore, but as far as Suzaku was concerned— “I was born royalty,” Lelouch corrected, deciding to give him the whole picture. “For all intents and purposes, Lelouch vi Britannia died in the war. I’m never going back.”

Suzaku was still gaping. “I’m dating a _prince_.”

Lelouch sighed. “If you want to get technical.”

“I’ve fucked a _prince_ —”

Lelouch rolled his eyes.  “Okay, Suzaku, should I let you get used to this before we keep going?”

Shaking his head, Suzaku got himself together. “No, I’m—I’m all right now, Lelouch. I just can’t believe, this whole time…and we could’ve…you would’ve brightened my life so much sooner…”

“I was thinking the same, only in reverse,” Lelouch said softly. Though he had to acknowledge the impact he might have made, too; Suzaku might have learned through him that not all Britannians were scum. It had taken some time of dating, but Suzaku had eventually confessed that despite his Honorary Britannian status, he still held a deep-seated distrust for Britannians. To be fair, he’d never had a single good experience with them. He was just in the Britannian military because it was the best way to fulfill his goals, whatever those were; at the time, they hadn’t been close enough for Lelouch to feel comfortable asking. Becoming so serious changed everything. And besides… “At least we found each other now, and you know my personal history.”

Suzaku nodded, his eyes looking a little wet. “Thank you for trusting me, Lelouch. I’ll always guard your secret. I’ll always guard _you_.”

There was no question of that, or Lelouch would have kept quiet. “I know,” he said simply. “I just want you to know how much I believe in us. If you feel the same, just kiss me or something.”

And no matter what universe, Suzaku could never resist _that_.


	4. Methods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 4: “You’ll have to be more specific. A lot of things are my fault.” 
> 
> Could be read as a stand-alone or as a divergence from _Blackmail_.

“I can’t believe you.”

Lelouch looked up from his laptop, automatically pulling up his ‘safe’ tab to cover his plans should Suzaku  glance at his screen. He didn’t _exactly_ want Suzaku to see his progress in transforming the Black Knights into a cell-based structure—not that Suzaku would probably link the colored electronic graphs to the Black Knights, but Lelouch didn’t want Suzaku asking questions just in case. Lelouch owned the questions, and the power. “What is it?”

Suzaku seethed and paced the room. “I told you, Lelouch. Your methods only cause more trouble.”

Okay, that statement raised some alarms. But it was better not to jump to conclusions and risk giving away his identity as Zero when there _could_ be something else behind Suzaku’s accusation. It was time to act innocent. “My methods?”

“Yes, your methods made things worse! This is all your fault!”

Lelouch cocked his head, figuring how to maneuver the murky conversation. “You’ll have to be more specific,” he said slowly, playing it safe and digging for more details. “A lot of things are my fault.”

Suzaku’s jaw worked wordlessly, fury lining his face. Then he forced himself to breathe deeply and sat down on the couch, as far away from Lelouch as he could get. “You _know_ what I’m talking about,” he hissed, crossing his arms. “You interfered with _violence_.”

That…could actually still mean any number of things. Lelouch shifted towards Suzaku, lifting his chin. “Only against the deserving.”

“It’s not the right way!” Suzaku burst out, waving his arms. A couch pillow went flying, and Suzaku had the decency to look ashamed.

Lelouch followed the pillow’s adventure to the middle of the room with a raised eyebrow and a carefully withheld sigh. Suzaku could still be so touchy about things. Lelouch glanced back at his boyfriend with a neutral expression and prodded, “Then what would you have me do?”

Suzaku glared. “We’ve been over this, Lelouch!” He looked up at the ceiling, struggling for control. When he looked back at Lelouch ten seconds later, he was noticeably calmer. “You need to stay out of it,” he said, his voice a bit wobbly. “I told you. Once they see I’m not a threat, they’ll stop bullying me. I have to prove myself to them first. I can’t do that if they associate me with any negative consequences.”

Ah, so that’s what it was. Lelouch smiled, relieved that he’d dodged a bullet. “To be technically accurate,” he said loftily, “I didn’t get violent with Worth and his cronies.”

Suzaku snorted before he could stop himself. “Come on, Lelouch,” he said, “we both know you orchestrated everything. It could have been a random attack, but the perpetrators kept yelling that this was recompense for defiling the Japanese. You’re the only one who would hire even bigger bullies to take action for that reason, especially using ‘Japanese’ instead of ‘Eleven.’ Don’t even try to deny it.”

Damn. Suzaku knew him so well. That’s what happened when you became boyfriends, Lelouch supposed, but so far the benefits outweighed the setbacks. “I didn’t do much,” he said with an air of naiveté, automatically brushing his fingers under his left eye. “I just persuaded a few eager bodybuilders to test out their strength.”

“On innocent high school students!” Suzaku added quickly.

Lelouch tapped his chin. “I wouldn’t say innocent,” he muttered darkly, clenching his hand into a fist. “Those bastards have done much worse to you, in every capacity imaginable.”

“They never broke my arm,” Suzaku countered evenly.

Lifting one shoulder, Lelouch met his eyes and murmured, “They broke your heart. That’s worse.”

Suzaku gaped at him.

“Every time they tore you down,” Lelouch went on softly, “every time they hit you, spit on you, vandalized your property, insulted your heritage, mocked your abilities…” He swallowed down a lump in his throat, not even needing to act his sorrow. “Every one of those experiences chipped away at you inside, Suzaku. They got what was coming to them.”

Silence fell between them like an invisible curtain.

After a decent stretch, Suzaku pushed himself to his feet. Squaring his shoulders, he faced Lelouch and said firmly, “I’m going to use however many of my paychecks it takes to cover their hospital bills. You are going to stay out of this issue and let _me_ handle my _own_ bullies. And we will never have another situation like this happen again, Lelouch, or I will walk away from this relationship.”

Mouth falling open, Lelouch made some sort of strangled sound. Air felt trapped in his lungs.

“I love you, Lelouch,” Suzaku said, sounding gentler than he had the entire night. “And I know you love me, enough to get even with people on my behalf. I understand why you did it, but you have to respect my wishes.” Straightening, he inhaled and tacked on, “I refuse to be used as a pretext for violence. Especially by the person I love most.”

Well, damn. A major reason for Zero’s rebellion was Lelouch’s desire to do right by Suzaku…

“You’re better than this,” Suzaku finished, turning towards the door. “Please think about what I said.”

As the door slid closed behind him, Lelouch finally breathed. He switched back to the Black Knights screen on his laptop, still as determined as ever, and thought, _It could have been worse_.


	5. Cautious Restraint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A SuzaLulu relationship AU where the canon cat chase never happens. Suzaku remains the social pariah of Ashford Academy, but at least his secret romance with Lelouch is flourishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 5: Restraint

Lelouch struggled in vain against the hands holding him down, the ropes tying him to the chair.

“It’s just cosplay, Lelou!” Shirley said, trying to be comforting. Before she froze completely, her make-up slipping from between her fingers.

The others on the Student Council followed her gaze before having similar reactions of surprise. “Oho, Lelouch!” Milly giggled knowingly, poking the area where Lelouch remembered thoroughly enjoying Suzaku’s mouth last night.

Damn. He should have known something so intense would leave a mark.

With a Cheshire cat smile, Milly teased, “So _this_ is what you’ve been up to lately. You got yourself a girlfriend! How cute!” She flicked her dancing eyes in Shirley’s direction—and sobered when she realized the younger girl was trying to hold back tears.

Lelouch looked out the window, not wanting to see any more.

Rivalz snorted and draped a friendly arm around Lelouch’s shoulder. “Got a feisty one, don’tcha?” he joshed, punching Lelouch playfully in the side. “Man, I didn’t think you had it in you. I’m so proud.” He melodramatically wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Lelouch,” he said in all his teenage wisdom, “you are becoming a man at last!”

Shifting uncomfortably in the chair he was restrained in, Lelouch cast a baleful glare at everyone. “It’s not what you,” he tried to protest, then hung his head in defeat. “Forget it.” The odds were stacked against him, and honestly—“It’s not worth it.”

Milly frowned and straightened up, pulling back and cutting down on the teasing out of respect for Lelouch’s situation. “Who is she?” she asked, loosening a knot to give Lelouch more breathing room.

“No one,” Lelouch growled, testing the ropes. Though somewhat more lax, they still held. It was like they were mocking his bid for freedom.

Kallen stepped forward, goading, “You can tell us.”

Shirley sniffled but managed to ask, “Is it a secret, Lelou?”

Lifting his head, Lelouch managed a stiff nod. “It’s not that _I_ don’t trust you,” he started to explain, meeting everyone’s eyes in turn, “but _he’s_ not ready to go public and I would never push him.”

Milly’s eyes widened comically, and Shirley’s mouth dropped open in shock. Rivalz blinked rapidly in astonishment as he tried to process that pronoun. Kallen had a blank look on her face before she shook it off and smiled encouragingly at Lelouch, apparently deciding she would still support him in something like this despite how she must loathe his attitude. Even Nina whirled around to stare at Lelouch, clutching her heart.

Lelouch lifted his head, pushed his chest out in as much confidence as the restraints would allow. “I’m real serious about him,” he said, injecting a bit of Zero’s more serious tone into his words, “and I won’t do anything to jeopardize what we have.”

-+-

“They’re nice people,” Lelouch said, perhaps a bit reluctantly after the cosplay torture they had forced upon him. But, priorities.

Suzaku glanced up dubiously from where he was butterfly-kissing the rope indentations decorating Lelouch’s skin in red patterns. “I can’t,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “I’m not comfortable yet, Lelouch.”

Nodding, Lelouch swept his hand through Suzaku’s hair in a reassuring caress. “That’s fine,” he said softly. “I just wanted to put the idea out there again since we haven’t revisited it in a while.” He couldn’t blame Suzaku for shying away. After everything the Japanese teen had endured at the hands of Britannia…

“Thank you,” Suzaku murmured, sounding more grateful than he probably should. “I’ll let you know if I’m ever ready to go public.”

Pulling him in with a kiss and a smirk, Lelouch teased, “I can’t complain when I get you all to myself, can I?”

Suzaku pretended to think before grinning jovially and countering, “Actually, I’m pretty sure you could find something to complain about no matter what.” Ignoring Lelouch’s stunned and playfully-insulted face, Suzaku bent down to kiss away the sting.

And what they had, for the moment, stayed between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I have so many ideas for this AU, too. Like the Council being nosy and trying to figure out who Lelouch's secret boyfriend is, Suzaku slowly befriending them outside of Lelouch (like, he drops everything to help Rivalz with his motorbike, stuff like that), and then The Big Reveal when Lelouch overreacts to Suzaku being hurt in some attack. Or something. GAH. I wanted to have all that typed up for this update, but time was not on my side. Again, maybe someday.


	6. Making the Most of Irony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Black Knights use Suzaku's boyfriend as leverage. Lelouch amuses himself by talking dirty in jail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 6: Future/What's Justice/Nightmare

This was such a damn nightmare. Honestly, what was justice, anyway? This was inhumane. This was unheard-of. This was…kind of funny.

Lelouch was sitting in a confinement room. Pondering his immediate future. On the Black Knights’ submarine. As Ashford Academy student Lelouch Lamperouge.

Suzaku had been dragged somewhere else, presumably to Room J-1 which had the best security. Lelouch was in Room J-7, which was mildly insulting considering it meant the Black Knights didn’t view him as a real threat. Then again, that just meant his cover identity was convincing enough. He could use that to his advantage. If only he had more to work with!

The door opened and Ohgi walked in with a tray of fruit and graham crackers. “Hi,” he said, sounding as awkward as Lelouch had ever heard him—which was saying something, because Ohgi acted awkward around Zero all the time.

In answer, Lelouch stared him down with a slight frown.

Ohgi fumbled with the tray and finally set it down on the floor next to Lelouch. “I know this must seem very strange,” the deputy commander said, rubbing the back of his head. “But don’t worry. We won’t hurt you.”

“Why am I here?” Lelouch asked, channeling as much of his innocent schoolboy persona as he could muster into his tone. He was actually impressed with himself for managing to sound so un-Zero.

Wincing, Ohgi looked to the side. “Leverage,” he mumbled. “You’re important to Kururugi.”

Lelouch let his frown intensify. “So you’re going to use me against my boyfriend?” he bit out, squishing a grape between his fingers.

Ohgi looked back at him, eyes wide. “Your boyfriend?” he echoed, as puzzled as always. “I thought you were just best friends, but this is actually better.” He nodded, taking a step back but not yet leaving the room. “You’re more important to Kururugi than we’d banked on. That means he’ll behave.”

“Behave?” Lelouch asked flatly, rubbing grape juice between the pads of his fingers.

Ohgi took another step back. “He will, so don’t worry,” he placated, holding up his palms. “He wouldn’t risk you.”

That was most likely true.

Lelouch sighed. “Do we at least have conjugal visits?”

“What?”

Lelouch sighed harder. “Do we get to have sex sometimes?” he asked loudly, earning a whoop from Tamaki somewhere on the other side of the wall.

Ohgi blushed all the way down his neck. “Maybe that’ll be something Kururugi can earn, given he proves himself enough over time,” he squeaked.

“Fine,” Lelouch said, forcing himself to sound bored. “Can you at least pass on a message?”

Ohgi nodded, looking relieved at the subject change. “Sure. What do you want me to tell him?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Lelouch leaned his head back against the wall. “Tell him that I love him—”

Ohgi’s face softened even further.

“—and that he better get his act together, because I don’t tolerate blue balls.”

The door slammed shut behind Ohgi faster than Lelouch and Suzaku had been taken by surprise on their date.

-+-

“Are you comfortable?” Tohdoh asked, checking in on Lelouch.

Lelouch blinked. “Mostly,” he said, sounding as naïve as possible. “But I feel so empty. Suzaku’s cock hasn’t been rammed up my tight ass in _days_.”

Tohdoh coughed and looked up, for once seeming to have trouble controlling his expression. “You’ve only been here twelve hours.”

Nodding, Lelouch said, “But we haven’t fucked for so long, even before you captured us.”

At least Tohdoh had the tact to walk instead of run out the exit.

-+-

“Hungry?” Inoue asked, gently setting down another tray of snack food.

Lelouch tilted his head. “Starving,” he said emphatically, licking his lips. “I haven’t sucked Suzaku’s sexy, delicious cock in hours.”

Inoue jerked back, blushing almost as bad as Ohgi. “Practice on the banana,” she advised in a strained voice before fleeing.

-+-

“This is Rakshata. She’s a scientist,” Ohgi said, introducing the Knightmare engineer.

Lelouch quirked an eyebrow, anticipating how that professional title would be stretched.

Rakshata blew her pipe and scrutinized Lelouch. “You have a sex disorder,” she said blandly.

Lelouch snorted, finding it ironically hilarious that being bare-faced provided him the metaphorical mask to talk so crudely to the Black Knights. This captured student role was, dare he think it, rather fun. He had to get his kicks from somewhere, after all, stuck in this boring room. He cleared his throat and argued the diagnosis, “Or I have healthy teenage boy hormones.”

Shrugging, Rakshata muttered, “Same difference.”

Lelouch prided himself on not picking arguments he couldn’t win, so he simply pressed his lips together.

-+-

“All right,” Ohgi said, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. “We’ve decided that Kururugi’s good behavior has earned a reward. You two can have one hour together in his room.” He fidgeted, looking over his shoulder for support from the rest of the inner circle who all nodded encouragingly. Resigned, Ohgi turned back to Lelouch. “However, for our guarding purposes, we are posting two Black Knights on the inside of the door. That is non-negotiable. For your privacy, they will turn and face the wall.”

Lelouch sniffed, baiting, “Zero decided this, did he?”

Ohgi was silent for a suspicious heartbeat before stiffly nodding.

Keeping his eyes from rolling with great effort, Lelouch pushed himself to his feet. “Lead the way.”

-+-

“I’m joining the Black Knights for you,” Suzaku said in a rush as soon as Lelouch was done kissing him in greeting.

Lelouch pulled back, eyes widening, and asked, “For me?” It was what he’d always wanted, but not like—

Suzaku nodded. “If I pledge loyalty to Zero, they’ll let you go. I have no choice, Lelouch.”

For the first time, Lelouch considered forgiving the Black Knights for their unauthorized kidnapping plan.

Maybe after making Ohgi and Tohdoh squirm some more.

Maybe there would be personal justice in his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someday I'll go back and flesh out this idea. For now, I have a SuzaLulu Week deadline so here's at least SOMETHING.


	7. Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warriors AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. I make no profit from writing fanfiction.
> 
> SuzaLulu Week 2017
> 
> Day 7: Birth / Rebirth / FREE (open category) | AU: body swap
> 
> Self-indulgent _Warriors_ AU. ~~First kids, now cats. Human body swap for feline forms?~~

“Wow, that was pathetic. Even a kit could have caught that!”

Flicking his ears in annoyance, Lelouchpaw watched forlornly as his intended prey flew farther out of reach. When the bird was out of sight, he marched up to the border and bared his teeth at the brown tomcat from a rival Clan. “Do you always share your unwanted opinions? You must be on tick duty a lot if you’re this obnoxious all the time.”

The brown tomcat only twitched his whiskers in amusement. “I’m Suzakupaw.”

“Okay, Obnoxiouspaw.”

Suzakupaw’s whiskers twitched even harder. “You’re funny. I like you.”

Lelouchpaw reared back, ears flattening. “You’re JapanClan! You can’t like me!”

“Just because you’re a BritanniaClan cat?” Suzakupaw wondered, tilting his head. “I don’t think that matters.”

Lelouchpaw snorted and sat down, wrapping his long black tail around his paws. “They must not teach the Warrior Code in JapanClan,” he drawled, lifting his head. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

Suzakupaw flicked off the insult with one ear and mirrored Lelouchpaw’s position across the border line. “My mentor teaches me everything I need to know,” he boasted.

Lelouchpaw widened his eyes. “Wow,” he breathed, leaning closer and ending in a whisper, “Then you must be _really stupid_ not to understand your mentor, whom I feel extremely sorry for at the moment.”

For the first time, Suzakupaw lost some of his playfulness. “I feel even more bad for _your_ mentor,” he snarked back. “You can’t even catch easy prey.”

“Every cat misses prey once in a while,” Lelouchpaw said loftily. “But most Clan cats know the Warrior Code by the time they leave the nursery. It’s sad that you don’t even follow the basic rules as an apprentice.”

Suzakupaw opened his mouth to protest before stiffening and looking over his shoulder.

The bushes rustled, and a brown JapanClan warrior slid into view. “What’s going on here?” he asked sternly, flicking his tail with annoyance.

“Your apprentice distracted _my_ apprentice during his first hunting assessment,” snarled another black-furred tom appearing from behind Lelouchpaw. “Tohdohtooth, can’t you control him?”

Tohdohtooth didn’t even let his fur ruffle as he returned evenly, “Perhaps you should train your apprentice not to _let_ himself be distracted.”

Lelouchpaw flattened his ears, shooting Guilfordfrost an affronted look.

“Hm, perhaps you are right,” Guilfordfrost said, giving Lelouchpaw a meaningful look. “Corneliastorm’s brother needs to do better.”

Lelouchpaw dug his claws into the earth. “Don’t think you can tell me what to do because you’re my sister’s mate!”

“I don’t,” Guilfordfrost returned calmly. “I can tell you what to do because _I’m your mentor_.”

Suzakupaw laughed, then unsuccessfully tried to sound as if he got Greencough.

Lelouchpaw glared him into silence.

Both warriors nudged their apprentices deeper into their own territory to continue training, and the border remained uncrossed.

-+-

“If it isn’t Obnoxiouspaw.”

“Actually, it’s Suzakuflame now!”

“Same difference.”

“You must have earned your warrior name, too!” Suzakuflame said, bouncing around the border excitedly. “I’ll tell you congratulations if you tell me congratulations! But first I need to know what to call you.”

The black cat played with a leaf on the ground. “It’s still Lelouchpaw,” he admitted with a wince.

Suzakuflame’s eyes widened. “You’re still _that_ bad of a hunter?” he gasped. “Are you an even worse fighter?”

Lelouchpaw shredded the leaf. “My littermate Nunnallypaw got hit by a monster,” he growled. “She’s blind and crippled now, so I asked to become a medicine cat apprentice instead. I’m going to take care of her, and all kinds of sick and injured cats!”

Suzakuflame sat back on his haunches with a thump. “Wow,” he breathed, sounding genuinely impressed. “That’s amazing, Lelouchpaw! I can’t believe you’re starting training all over again in another role! But you’ll be a great medicine cat.”

“How do you know?” Lelouchpaw snapped.

Suzakuflame cocked his head. “It just seems like a better fit for you.”

Lelouch put his ears back in annoyance. “You’ve talked to me _once_. You know nothing about me.”

“I’ve been watching you from my territory.”

“Like that’s not disturbing.”

Suzakuflame looked at the ground and shuffled his paws. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “it’s just really hard to take my eyes off you.”

Lelouchpaw stared at him, feeling warmth creep beneath his pelt from nose to tail-tip. “Do you have no friends in your own Clan because you’re always saying strange things?” Lelouchpaw hissed, upset that this rival cat had such an effect on him.

Staring at him in amusement, tail and whiskers twitching, Suzakuflame corrected, “Oh, I have lots of friends. They’re just not as interesting as you.”

His jovial words rang in Lelouchpaw’s head that entire moon.

-+-

Lelouchpaw staggered over the border, wheezing as Nunnallypaw almost slipped off his back. “H-help!” he called, feeling like his paws would fall off if he took another step.

By some blessed stroke of luck, Suzakuflame raced through some ferns and skidded to a halt in front of them. “What’s wrong?!” Looking concerned, he pressed against Lelouchpaw to help hold up Nunnallypaw’s weight.

“Our father, Charlesstar, outcast us from BritanniaClan,” Lelouchpaw croaked. “He says he has no use for cats who can’t hunt or fight, so Nunnallypaw had to either go to StarClan or get off his territory.” Shuddering, Lelouchpaw pressed his nose into Suzakuflame’s neck fur in appreciation. “I challenged Charlesstar in front of the whole Clan, so he told me I had the same choice as Nunnallypaw.”

Suzakuflame pressed tighter against Lelouchpaw in support. “You always have a place in JapanClan,” he murmured softly, licking Lelouchpaw’s ear. “Genbustar will take you both in if I beg.”

“Thank you,” Lelouchpaw muttered hoarsely. “I just want to make sure Nunnallypaw is all right.”

Everything else came after.

-+-

Genbustar reluctantly allowed Lelouchpaw and his sister to stay, provided they share BritanniaClan’s secrets in exchange. Lelouchpaw was only all too glad to rattle off a list of his old Clan’s weaknesses. The only one he still cared about back there was Euphyheart.

Suzakuflame seemed a bit too interested in Euphyheart whenever Lelouchpaw spoke of her, which honestly ruffled Lelouchpaw’s fur. He didn’t know why it felt like he was choking on prey when Suzakuflame asked about their relationship.

And damn, Suzakuflame wasn’t kidding when he’d boasted of his warrior skills. His abilities seemed like a gift from StarClan.

Lelouchpaw started to feel at home.

Two moons later, it didn’t matter anyway because BritanniaClan attacked.

JapanClan became a sub-territory of BritanniaClan,

No cat even had time to sit vigil for Genbustar, who’d lost his ninth life in battle.

And Lelouchpaw, who’d tried to outrun his BritannianClan blood, felt like the border lines had expanded to trap his new sanctuary. Nunnallypaw’s health took a turn for the worse, though Lelouchpaw worked his paws off learning healing herbs and techniques from JapanClan’s medicine cat, Ohgiwing.

On the bright side, at least Suzakuflame distracted him by teaching him how to hunt better. These outings grew to include territory exploration, leisure walks, and playful tree-climbing. At camp, they curled up together, shared tongues, and ate each other’s prey. One afternoon, Suzakuflame quickly touched noses with Lelouchpaw before dashing off on border patrol, stumbling into a tree when he looked over his shoulder with an embarrassed whisker-twitch and shining green eyes.

Days spent by Suzakuflame’s side kindled a new kind of fire in Lelouchpaw’s belly, and it was only once he’d earned his full Clan member name (Lelouchtwig) from Kiriharastar that he remembered:

Medicine cats weren’t allowed to have mates.

Well then.

Screw the Code.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as always, this is just a snapshot of an idea that can be expanded and detailed later. *SIGH* Next year I will get back to preparing prompt responses in advance, instead of rushing to type updates the day of in spare moments between work, school, and other RL obligations. All of these oneshots are horrific quality and I apologize for the slapdash feel to the writing. The ideas though? I liked sharing those.
> 
> Yay SuzaLulu Week.
> 
> ~~Okay, but seriously, cat!Suzaku grooming cat!Lelouch with his tongue in a patch of sunlight, and they're both purring and cuddling and and and...~~

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> -+-
> 
> How to Kill the Bad Guys
> 
> by Suzaku
> 
> At the beginning of the year, I thought the best way to kill bad guys was with a gun. Then my husband Lelouch taught me it was better to throw a bomb. Then they all die at the same time. The End.
> 
> -+-
> 
> Suzaku
> 
> by Lelouch
> 
> This year I learned that Suzaku is not a bad boy. He is actually pretty cool. I am glad he is my husband. The End.


End file.
